An Indian national named Aamir Rasul Shikalgar has been sentenced to 20 years for drug smuggling into Paro Airport from Thailand. On 04/02/2025 at around 12:30 pm, the Department of Regional Revenue and Customs seized 19.289 kilograms of heroin from the bag of an Indian national, Aamir Rasul Shikalgar during …

By Binaifer Nowrojee NEW YORK – Starvation is the slow, silent unmaking of the body. Deprived of basic sustenance, the body first burns through sugar stores in the liver. Then it melts muscle and fat, breaking down tissue to keep the brain and other vital organs alive. As these reserves …

His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen’s first-ever State Visit to Viet Nam from 18th to 22nd August marks a historic milestone in Bhutan’s foreign relations, strengthening ties with a nation that has become a beacon of resilience, economic dynamism, and cultural pride in Asia. The warm welcome …

The decision to bring the entire Paro Valley from Shabha to Tsento  under Local Area Plans (LAPs) is nothing short of historic. Spanning 36 square kilometres, it is the largest LAP exercise after Thimphu, promising orderly growth, modern infrastructure, and preservation of the valley’s cultural and agricultural heart. The vision …

By Antara Haldar LOS ANGELES – Although the International Court of Justice turned 80 this year, there is a sense in which it has never felt younger. In a David-versus-Goliath moment, the tiny Pacific Island state of Vanuatu recently changed international law forever by bringing the world’s most important issue before its …

By 27th August, Punatsangchu II will be fully commissioned at over 1,020 MW, a landmark achievement for Bhutan’s hydropower sector. Yet, without an agreed tariff and a signed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with India, not a single unit can be exported. For Bhutan, this is not just a delay, it …

By Angela Huyue Zhang China’s weaponization of rare earths has emerged as a major flash point in US-China trade negotiations. These critical materials, especially the high-performance magnets they make possible, are vital components in electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, industrial robotics, and advanced defense systems. In response to China’s strict …

The story of Jangchub Dorji, is a microcosm of the challenges our private sector faces and a reminder of how far we still have to go in building a truly enabling environment for entrepreneurship in Bhutan. Jangchub is not a flybynight operator. He is a young, capable entrepreneur with a …

By Rabah Arezki & Rick van der Ploeg PARIS – The world’s superpowers have developed a seemingly insatiable appetite for the critical minerals that are essential to the ongoing energy and digital transitions, including rare-earth metals (for semiconductors), cobalt (for batteries), and uranium (for nuclear reactors). The International Energy Agency …

By Pema Y Lhamo Fifty years ago, in an unscripted moment, Bhutan’s Fourth King caught the world off guard with a radical idea. Asked about Bhutan’s GDP, he replied not with statistics but with a pithy yet powerful conviction: “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product.” It …